Review of You Don't Know Jack (2010) by Kyle B — 31 Jul 2010

Save for that clumsy title, this HBO original movie about the infamous Dr. Jack Kevorkian, know for his 'pioneering' of assisted suicide. You can fault director Barry Levinson (Diner, Rain Man) a bit for approaching the controversy Kevorkian endured as a little guy against the establishment story, but many would probably argue that Galileo in the 90's Kevorkian was not.

It remains no less fascinating though, largely due to the wonderful performance of Al Pacino as the doctor himself. There's no Hoo-aa showboating here, unless you count the Michigan drawl. Pacino is restrained, tight, alert to nuance. The past decade has seen Pacino become even more of a caricature of himself, except for his brilliant performance as Roy Cohn in the HBO mini-series Angels In America, for which he won an Emmy. This latest role should garner similar love.

Rounding out the cast is the lovely Brenda Vaccaro as Kevorkian's devoted sister Margo, and the great John Goodman and Susan Sarandon as friends of Kevorkian. The film is shot documentary-style, it's not particularly showing. There's even real interview footage with Barbara Walters and Mike Wallace incorporated. It starts with Kevorkian at the age of 61, when he began his work, and ends with him at 79, just out of jail. Whether the film comes out on the side of euthanasia is up to you, but You Don't Know Jack sure doesn't skimp on the provocation. That's what makes it worth viewing.